As is appreciated by physical therapists, massage involves the manipulation of muscle and connective tissue to enhance the function of those tissues and promote relaxation and well-being. Therapeutic massage can ease tension and reduce pain, and can also be highly effective for reducing the symptoms of arthritis, back pain, and other disorders of the muscles and/or nervous system. Massage is generally administered either by another person (such as, for example, a masseuse or a masseur) or is self-administered by means of a mechanical massaging device.
Over the years, a variety of massaging devices have been invented and marketed to those desirous of self-administered massage. Exemplary in this regard are the various massage contraptions disclosed in following U.S. patents and patent publications:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,282 to Bleggi discloses a back massage apparatus for use by a user while in a standing position on a floor in close proximate relation to a fixed vertical surface. The back massage apparatus comprises a plurality of spaced elastomeric balls (for alternately applying and releasing pressure on the back muscles of the user) rotatably supported by a carrier system that is attached to the fixed vertical surface. The balls are positioned between the user's back and the vertical surface with the balls orientated on opposite sides of the spinal column. Vertical movement of the user's back due to bending of the knees effects movement of the balls relative to the user's back.
U.S. Patent Application No. U.S. 2002/0013541 to Marcantoni discloses a massaging device (to be inserted in the back of a massage chair or the like) that comprises a frame suitable to support massage wheels which are rotationally actuated by at least one gearmotor. The massage wheels are directly connected to the shaft of the gearmotor by way of an element suitable to produce an oscillation of the massage wheels so that the longitudinal axis of the massage wheels oscillates, during the rotation of the wheels, with respect to the axis that passes through the center of the wheels.
U.S. Patent Application No. US2002/0193715 to Slack discloses a wall-mounted back massager that comprises a stationary hardwood ball vertically positioned at a user selected height. The user is thus able to press and move their back against the ball, and is doing is able to apply therapeutic pressure to relieve back, shoulder and neck tension.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,500 to Cheng-Yi et al. discloses a roller massager that comprises a seat body, a drive motor, a sliding seat, a second drive motor and rocker arm Ape massaging roller sets. The massaging roller sets are pivoted at the ends of a drive rod and is driven by the second drive motor indirectly, which is characterized by two pilot end heads eccentrically fitted at the two ends of the drive rod respectively, while a pilot end head at one end is provided with a radial slot, together with a bolt installed on the drive rod, that pilot end head can rotate itself depending on the different rotating directions of the drive rod, thus change the relative attitude to the pilot end head at another end. In this configuration, the roller sets call achieve motions of rising and sinking, as well as automatic switching between two massaging modes of rocking and kneading.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,991 to Inada et al. discloses a massaging apparatus in which the position of a specific portion of a user's body (such as a user's shoulder) with respect to the massaging apparatus can be determined automatically and accurately in a simple construction. The massaging apparatus includes a supporting arm having a therapeutic member pivotally supported thereon and freely movable along the user's body. The position of the specific portion of the user's body with respect to the massaging apparatus is determined from the relation between the vertical position of the supporting arm and the pivotal position of the supporting arm. A pivotal movement detecting system is provided that detects when the supporting arm reaches a prescribed range of pivotal movement.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0148912 to Liao discloses a massaging wheel assembly that comprises two base frames pivotally connected in parallel to a sliding carrier slidably movable in a sliding track, each base frame having a wheel axle at the front end and a pivot pin at the rear end, two supplementary frames respectively pivoted to the pivot pins at the rear ends of the base frames, each supplementary frame having two wheel axles at the ends, two main massaging wheels respectively pivoted to the wheel axles at the front ends of the base frames, and four supplementary massaging wheels respectively pivoted to the wheel axles at the ends of the supplementary frames.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,014,620 to Kim discloses a lie-down massager that comprises a frame having an elongated top panel with an elongated opening, a rider below the top panel, a guide member movably engaged between the frame and the rider to enable the rider to make a horizontal reciprocation relative to the frame, a lifter moving vertically relative to the rider, and a roller gear engaged to the rider. The roller gear is engaged to a vertical rack gear in an opening of an engagement body extending from the lifter so the roller gear rotation enables the lifter to make a vertical reciprocation. Massage bumps attached to the top portion of the lifter move vertically and/or horizontally along the elongated top opening of the elongated top panel of the frame by the lifter and the rider.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,081,098 to Kim discloses a lie-down massager that comprises a base frame having a top panel, a rider provided below the top panel of the base frame, a guide member movably engaged between the base frame and the rider to enable the rider to make a horizontally reciprocal movement relative to the base frame, massage bumps that move vertically along an elongated top opening of the elongated top panel of the base frame, and a litter that holds the massage bumps and adjusts the height of the massage bumps. The lifter includes a top plate, a bottom plate, a fluid operated cylinder fixed to the bottom plate, and a spring fixed between the top plate and the bottom plate. The fluid operated cylinder has a cylinder shaft that is moved by pressurized fluid overcoming the force of the spring, and a guide shaft and a guide bearing that have a square cross section.
Although a vast variety of self-administered back massagers are known to exist, there is still a need in the art for new and improved back massagers, especially in terms of back massagers that have reduced size, bulkiness, cumbersomeness, and cost. There is also a need ill the art for new and improved back massagers that are gearless and motorless. There is still a further need in the art for back massagers that are readily attachable to a fixed vertical surface, and are readily adjustable to a user selected height. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides for further related advantages.